CHAD CABLE

CHAD CABLE

Crash, Boom, Ham!

Lead Gameplay ProgrammerDisney Interactive, 2016

Amazon App Store (Discontinued)

Overview

In Crash, Boom, Ham! players destroy boxes to help Hamilton the pig safely reach the floor. I was the lead gameplay engineer on the geo-beta release, which was developed as a "Minimum Playable Prototype" in just under two months.

Contributions

Clear, Smart Input

Every touch in Ham! is crucial, which requires fast and fluid controls. Touch states are clearly communicated through the box color. Boxes listen for both "down" and "enter" events, making them easier to touch. Touches also have a "cool off" timer to help the player touch fast moving boxes.

Character Controller

Since Hamilton is front and center, it was important to make him feel responsive and alive. Physics states were used to determine his velocity and direction to play sliding animations. He also will change states when reaching "crack" velocity mid-air to communicate the change in state.

Dynamic Camera

The camera was tricky because of competing, opposing gameplay needs. Moving it quickly meant sliding blocks out from under the players finger - however - moving too slowly wouldn't reveal enough information below Hamilton. The result is a spring camera with different thresholds, allowing it to move faster as Hamilton approaches the bottom of the screen.

Notes

Feedback in Ham! is focused on making the game play fast and feel seamless. The intro screen was intentionally designed to both reinforce the objective and quickly get out of your way.

Ham! was a labor of love. I added the Badge system at the last minute to help express more of the team's flavor. Same goes for my insistence on having an inch/millimeter toggle.